WD97: Error Message: "Cannot Find Installable ISAM"

In Microsoft Word 97 for Windows, if you perform a mail merge with a data source saved as a dBase (*.dbf) file, and you select a dBase format converter [for example: FoxPro Files via ODBC (*.dbf)], and you have one or more of the following installed:

• Windows NT 4.0 with Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) version 2.1
  
  -or-
• Windows 98 Second Edition
  
  -or-
• Windows 95 or Windows 98 with MDAC 2.1
  
  -or-
• Any other program that updates the Odbcjt32.dll file to version 4.0

The following error message may appear:

The operating systems listed in the "Symptoms" section of this article all install Odbcjt32.dll version 4.0, which does not support installable ISAM (indexed sequential access method).

NOTE: This work around details specifically using the FoxPro ODBC converters. However, these steps should correct the problems described in the "Symptoms" section of this article regardless of the source of the dBase (*.dbf) file you are using.

To work around this problem, you need to do all of the following:

1. To ensure that you are using Visual FoxPro ODBC driver (Vfpodbc.dll) version 6.0 or later, download and install Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) version 2.1 or later.
   
   NOTE: If you already have installed MDAC 2.1 or later, proceed to the next two steps, "Download and install Wdvfpdsn.exe" and "Attach or re-attach the FoxPro data source in Word".
   
   -and-
2. Download and install the Wdvfpdsn.exe file from the Microsoft Download Center.
   
   -and-
3. Attach or re-attach the FoxPro data source in Word.

Ensure That You Are Using Vfpodbc.dll Version 6.0 or Later

Download and install MDAC 2.1 from the following Web site: Or click here: When MDAC 2.1 is installed, it does not create the necessary registry entries for Word to use it. To correctly allow Word to use the Visual FoxPro ODBC driver during a mail merge, follow the steps in the next section, "Downloading and Installing the Wdvfpdsn.exe File."

Download and Install the Wdvfpdsn.exe File

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Attach or Re-attach the Data Source

1. In Microsoft Word, open the mail merge main document, and attach or re-attach the data source by clicking Mail Merge on the Tools menu and then clicking Get Data.
2. After you select the Microsoft FoxPro files in the Open Data Source dialog box, make sure to select the Select method check box. Click Open.
3. In the Confirm Data Source dialog box, select FoxPro Files - Word via ODBC (*.dbf).

NOTE: You still receive the error message if you click on the old driver, "FoxPro Files via ODBC (*.dbf)". To avoid this, make sure you click the correct driver with "Word" in the name; for example, FoxPro Files - Word via ODBC (*.dbf).

ISAM is an indexing mechanism for efficient access to rows of data in a file.

For additional information about problems relating to the Visual FoxPro ODBC driver, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: